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November 2007

Middle Georgia EMC Newsletter

Member Newsletter

Middle Georgia

The Official Newsletter of Middle Georgia Electric Membership Corporation

P.O. Box 190, Vienna, GA 31092

November 2007

MANAGER'S

Comments

By Hugh Richardson

We survived another summer

e have several challenges in the electric distri-

bution world, and one is surviving an

extremely hot and dry summer. The combination of
heat and electrical load takes a toll on our equip-
ment and may cause problems at the time of
occurrence or show up later. Then, all of a sudden,
a lightning storm hits creating more problems.
However, I would give our system an A-plus for
holding up during the two weeks in August when
temperatures were near or more than 100 degrees
every day.

We design our system to withstand a certain

amount of electrical load, and then some. This
summer, it came close to our design. It certainly
was not a perfect season--we had our blinks and
failures, but we had a pretty fast recovery time.

Power cost this year

is about the same as last
year. It may not appear
that way to our members
since usage has been
higher. Expect the rest of the year to have monthly
credits though the power cost adjustment.

Now with winter on the way, consider converting

your gas heat to a high-efficiency electric heat pump.
More than 160 of our members have done this and
received a $150 per-ton rebate in the process. We will
continue this program through this year and most like-
ly throughout 2008.

Yes, we survived another summer. We have this

and many other things to be thankful for. Happy
Thanksgiving from Middle Georgia EMC!

Our offices will be closed on Thursday, Nov. 22

in observance of the Thanksgiving holidays.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Mark your calendars

GEORGIA MAGAZINE

Middle Georgia EMC Newsletter

Middle Georgia EMC continues
its support of the GHSA State
Championship

uying products that bear the Energy

Star label is a surefire way to save

electricity around the house. But the govern-
ment doesn't require energy-efficiency labels
for ovens. So it's up to you to conserve ener-
gy as you prepare your meals, especially
during one of the busiest times of the
year--the Thanksgiving and Christmas holi-
days. Here's how:

Use the microwave rather than the con-
ventional oven whenever you can.
Microwaves use half as much energy and
cook food faster.

Preparing a small meal? Cook it in a
portable appliance like an electric frying
pan, grill or toaster oven.

These small appliances eat up about
two-thirds less electricity than an oven's
broiler.

Cook as much of an oven-baked meal at
once as possible. Variations in heat of 25
degrees in either direction will still brown
your food nicely.

Skip the preheating, especially when
broiling or roasting.

If you need to rearrange your oven
shelves, do it before you turn the oven
on. You waste less heat by opening the
door of a heated oven--and it can
prevent burns.

Avoid opening the door while your food is
cooking.

Wipe up minor oven spills with a damp
cloth, and use the oven's self-cleaning
cycle only for major messes. And when
you need the self-cleaner, run it right
after you prepare a meal when the oven
is already hot.

And, of course, never use an electric oven
as a room heater or to dry damp clothes.

Baking for the

holidays?

Keep it efficient

eorgia's EMCs are gearing up for another

year of thrilling high school athletics.

For the eighth consecutive year,
Georgia's EMCs, including Middle
Georgia EMC, are continuing their cor-
porate sponsorship of the Georgia High
School Association (GHSA).

Included in the sponsorship are Coaches'

Corner hospitality areas, which will be present at
eight championships this season. The Coaches' Corner is a place for
high school coaches to relax during a game, receive refreshments and a
free T-shirt, and learn about electric cooperatives. Each Coaches' Corner
will be staffed by EMC volunteers from across the state.

Coaches' Corners will be present at the following high school state

championships:

Girls' softball in Columbus

Cross country in Carrollton

Cheerleading in Columbus

Football semifinals at the Georgia Dome

Traditional wrestling at the Gwinnett Civic Center

Basketball finals at the Gwinnett Civic Center and Macon
Centreplex

Girls' track and field in Albany

Boys' track and field in Jefferson

The EMCs of Georgia are the corporate sponsors for the Cooperative

Spirit Sportsmanship Award, which will be presented to the winning
schools during half time at local football or basketball games. A total of
40 awards will be presented each year, one for each of the five classifi-
cations within all eight GHSA regions. Region secretaries will select the
winners. The first award ceremonies took place this September for the
2006-2007 winners.

Georgia's EMCs are also partnering with Georgia Public

Broadcasting (GPB) to promote this season's GHSA events. TV spots,
radio spots, print ads and T-shirts are designed to spread awareness of
Georgia's EMCs' increasing role in the GHSA. In addition, GPB will
broadcast the football semifinals and championships and the basketball
championships live, and air Prep Sports Plus (a weekly high school
sports highlight show).

Georgia's EMCs are eagerly looking forward to sponsoring this

year's Coaches' Corners. As corporate sponsors, Georgia's EMCs have a
unique opportunity to support high school athletics in a direct way. A
listing of GHSA State Championships and photos from Coaches' Corners
throughout the season can be found at www.georgiaemc.com. Middle
Georgia EMC wishes all our student athletes the best of luck!

November 2007

Middle Georgia EMC Newsletter

GES CORP

YLOR A

VER

Y
MEANS

e sprang forward in March, almost one

full month ahead of schedule this year

compared to last year. On Nov. 4 at 2 a.m.,
we'll fall back an hour.

By increasing our daylight saving time

(DST) by three weeks, we have "made" the sun
"set" one hour later, reducing the period
between sunset and bedtime. This means that
less electricity is required for lighting and appli-
ances used late in the day.

The last studies conducted by the U.S.

Department of Transportation show that we

f you're like the majority

of Americans, you don't.

The truth is that America's
electric companies rely on a
variety of fuels to generate
electricity--coal, nuclear
energy, natural gas, hydro-
power and other renewables
and fuel oil.

Fuel diversity is smart.

It protects electric coopera-
tives and their member-
owners from contingencies
such as fuel unavailability,
fuel price fluctuations and
changes in regulatory prac-
tices that can drive up the
cost of a particular fuel.
Fuel diversity also helps
ensure stability and reliability
in electricity supply and
strengthens national security.

Note: Sum of components does not add up to 100 percent due to inde-
pendent rounding.
*"Non-hydro renewables and other" includes generation from solar, wind,
geothermal, biomass (agricultural waste, municipal solid waste, landfill gas
recovery, wood, pitch), hydrogen, batteries, chemicals, non-wood waste,
purchased steam, sulfur and miscellaneous technologies.

3.1%

6.9%

19.4%

19.9%

1.6%

49.0%

Non-hydro renewables and other*

3.1%

Hydropower

6.9%

Nuclear

19.4%

Natural gas

19.9%

Fuel oil

1.6%

Coal

49.0%

Daylight saving time
saves time and energy

Do you know where your electricity comes from?

trim the entire country's electricity usage by
about 1 percent each day with DST. The study
also found that one hour more of sunlight has
other benefits such as less traffic fatalities and
reduced crime.

By combining energy-saving techniques

with DST, the amounts of energy saved per
household may be small, but added up, they can
be very large, causing less consumption of our
energy resources.

--Source: U.S. Department of Energy

Middle Georgia EMC Newsletter

GEORGIA MAGAZINE

Board of Directors

Don Wood

President

Johnny Noble

Vice President

Kay West

Secretary

Ronnie Youngblood

Treasurer

John David McCall

Director

Jerry F. Rhodes

Director

Royce Conner

Director

Ronnie Fleeman

Director

David Dunaway

Director

Davis and Forehand

Attorneys

Staff

Hugh Richardson

General Manager

Lisa Laney

Executive Secretary,

Newsletter Editor

Randy Kent

Office Manager

Mike McGee

Manager of Operations

and Engineering

Vienna Area (229) 268-2671

Rochelle

(Day) (229) 365-2263
(Night) 1-800-342-0144

Hawkinsville

(Day) (478) 892-3436
(Night) 1-800-342-0144

Office Hours

Mon-Fri, 8 a.m.-5 p.m.

(Branch offices closed from

12-1 p.m. daily)

Closed Saturday, Sunday and holidays.

There is a dispatcher on call 24 hours

a day for your convenience.

any of Georgia's electric coopera-

tives and service utilities have

become victims of a seriously growing
crime--metals theft. Of the various
types of metal, copper is specifically
targeted since it pays the highest at the
scrap yard.

Gov. Sonny Perdue recently signed SB 203 into law,

creating higher penalties for metals theft. Now, if someone
steals metal--no matter how small the amount--they can be prosecuted
for aggregate replacement costs of $500 or more to damaged property.
For example, if someone tampers with an air-conditioning unit to
retrieve copper wiring, they could be held liable not only for the stolen
copper, but for the replacement cost of the unit. And, if the property is
valued at more than $500, the thief could face criminal charges.

According to Georgia law, if the amount of stolen metal is worth

more than $500, the person could be charged with a felony and, if
convicted, can be punished by a fine of up to $5,000 or imprisonment
for one to five years, or both (www.lexisnexis.com/hottopics/gacode/).
If the amount of stolen metal is valued below $500, it is considered
a misdemeanor. This also applies to metal recyclers who knowingly
and intentionally engage in any practice that constitutes a violation
of this law.

Not only can a person face criminal charges for metals theft,

they could be electrocuted while committing the crime. Since you
can't see electricity running through metal, if improperly touched,
the person stealing metal could be seriously
injured or killed.

Reducing metals theft is important, and

Georgia's electric cooperatives have been tak-
ing measures to stop this rampant crime. But
your help is needed, too. If you see suspi-
cious activity in or around electric
substations, utility poles or new
construction sites, call local law
enforcement and Middle Georgia
EMC. To protect yourself, keep all
scrap metal in a secure area, and if
you plan to recycle metal, go to a
well-established, reputable recycler.

Keeping the lights on isn't the

only function of your co-op. Middle
Georgia EMC is committed to keeping its
member-consumers safe and keeping costs
low by deterring this serious, deadly crime.

Reducing metals theft

SERD

AR Y

A
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